NO GOLF SHOES: Halle Berry seen last week near LA, playing a round with partner (and kid watching on from the buggy).  No idea if she plays well.  No idea if she normally plays or whether she normally wears golf shoes.  But she’s famous… it was in all the papers and fame is fame… so in she goes!

Check other No Golf Shoes stories…

A few days ago I got excited about the idea that there were some new golf shoes and I did see a picture of some new sole design.  They were definitely called WALK RIGHT and they said they were being launched this month. So I’m on the trail…

First stop www.walk-right.com a site from Mark Farid, (C.Ped.), owner & operator of Walk Right who is a Board Certified Pedorthist with an engineering background.  But no sign of the golf shoes – just offers of foot treatment.

Second & Third & Fourth stops: Walk Rite – kids shoes in New Jersey. Walk Right Shoes Ohio. Shoe shop refits in Clacton & Banbury UK.

Getting nowhere fast… Then more luck, deep in a search was a new online article with the picture that I’d seen.  I just made out the name on the shoe – APOS and from there I was more lucky. I waded through article to artcicle about how modern feet need animal action (vs. sitting at desks and walking on flat surfaces) and learnéd (and analytical) orthopaedics until I could put some meat on the bone… so to speak.

The shoes that result from all the research and development are the APOS footwear system, that “involves the use of semispherical, individually calibrated bio-mechanical units that are placed on the soles of the shoes at the hindfoot and forefoot”. (Called APOS from All Phases of Step Cycle.)  But now the bad news, their website is in Hebrew (I can’t find a translate button) and worse it seems that there is no shoe as such because it’s a kind of measurement, custom fit process (that cost thousands).  This may be of interest to you if you need this type of shoe/treatment but there doesn’t seem to be  golf shoe in sight.  How did I get in this blind alley?

It’s because in the article that I’d read in The Mail Online (shoes save operation?) the guy who was reviewing them was playing golf in them.   An honest mistake.  But maybe they’ll start to promote them as golf shoes for the bone-needy.

…We bring you the definitive video on the subject from You Tube

Our man from yeterday, Mr Ian Baker-Finch is at the end as the grand finale.  Enjoy!  (And see I told you they say the golf shoes don’t feel the same afterwards.) And go practise that water shot – without your shoes.

Aha! Another No Golf Shoes story I thought, and it seems to be part of a pattern.  Someone becomes well known for taking off their trousers (pants in US parlance) and off with their golf shoes and their socks and then the guy makes a shot out of the water.

This time it was in1993 at The Colonial, when Ian Baker-Finch, the former British Open Champion thought he could still make par at the par 3 13th.  the shot out the water was great,leaving a long putt but well on the green.  The troube was that it put him off his stride with women asking him to hit it back in the waterall the time and he bogeyed three of the next five holes.

They say that however well you dry off your feet, your golf shoes never really feelcomfortabale for the rest of the round.  I’m off to try and find a video for you… Watch this space.

I’ve just caught up with a tournament which sounds like the antithesesis of the traditional golf club and it’s rules.  According to the TampaBay.com (which seems to be the original source of this story) the eighth annual “Redneck Golf Tournament” will be held on April 20.

“It can be crazy,” said organizer Tammy Williams, “It’s a wild atmosphere and something like you’ve never seen before or will again anywhere else.”  But it is not to be confused with another type “redneck golf” (also called “ladder golf”) where two golf balls are attached with string and thrown at a ladder – like a mediaeval tournament game!

At this tournament there are strict rules - no collared shirts, no golf shoes, jeans are welcome and golfers can only use three clubs. A lot of golfers wear flip flops or cowboy boots and many are in shorts.  Williams also says there’s plenty of Budweiser.

It’s a charity event on behlf of a local residential facility for the handicapped.  There will be six-golfer teams: cost $99.50each.  Want to know more - contact Williams at (727) 243-8293

Well what can you really say about these – having just posted an image of an exquisite “Royal” golf shoe from London/Italy retailing at most of $1,000!  These Slip Savers are right at the other end of the spectrum, promoted as being half the price of even the least expensive golf shoes.

They fit most shoes!  And the real clincher for these – you can travel with them easily!  So do these qualify for the least expensive golf shoes (alternative) or do they qualify for Golf Shoes Blog’s “No Golf Shoes” category?!

Only $24.95 P&P/shipping included from their website.

Golf Shoes Blog Brings You The Stenson Picture That You All Wanted To See

Where have you been if you haven’t heard about Henrik Stenson taking everything but a glove and his underpants?  So this has to be in the NO Golf Shoes section!

And on the right his own self-styled mud golf shoes!

Hover over the picture for more details.

There’s a beautiful golf course in Hawaii, (Princeville, Kauai), as the picture on the left shows.  Their green fees price list/info states that you can rent golf shoes for $15. 

Now I’m not sure that you want to pay that much for someone else’s atheletes foot (do they spray them in between rentals?) but when you can buy a pair or golf shoes for about that if you really shop around (and we did recently – see post), then you might consider buying some of those or just a pair of trainers if you can get away with it!  Throw them away afterwards!

I know courses (not quite like the photo, mind) where the green fee is less than that!

And I guess that some people would not rent shoes, as did (didn’t?) Suzie Frye – also in Hawaii – as earlier post.  And she hasn’t worn shoes since!

I cannot believe that I could ever forget this… Who didn’t see this event and cringe?!  It was more likely to put me behind the sofa than Doctor Who ever was! I was just reminded of it and of course it’s a great candidate for a NO GOLF SHOES story!  When he took off his golf shoes and got into the burn - and even worse, all the pictures that I can now find make him look like Mr Bean!

Jean van der Velde suffered at Carnoustie… he was leading The Open (comfortably!) when on the last hole he hit his ball twice into Barry Burn and thought about playing it from the brook.  He took off his golf shoes and his socks and climbed in.  This prompted commentator Peter Alliss to say “This is really beyond a joke – he’s gone ga-ga!” He eventually took a drop & hit into a bunker before getting up and down for a seven. He ended up losing out to Paul Lawrie in a 3-way play off.

Apparently the whole thing was a big controversy with Alliss being accused of lacking a sense of humour.  However a newspaper poll showed that readers/viewers entirely agreed!

Photo by Dana Rene Bowler

I love to hear about people playing without their golf shoes.  Do’t ask me why – after all this site is all about golf shoes.  Maybe it’s the refreshing nature of no shoes which means that you don’t have to go through the gestation of actually chosing which golf shoes to buy or wear.

This  story  was reported in the Ventura County Star last year but it now seems odd at this time of year – in our hemisphere – to see the picture again with sunshine an clear warm blue sky.  The golfer in question is a lady called Suzie Frye who plays at Spanish Hills Golf Club in Ventura, California. And for the last five years she has done so barefoot.

It started (as so often) when she forgot to take her golf shoes on a trip, this time to Hawaii.  So she played with no golf shoes.  She wouldn’t buy a new pair as she had enough shoes at home.  “So I decided to try playing barefoot, and I ended up playing really well, so I just kept doing it,” she said.  “It’s a feel thing. I just feel worse with shoes and I don’t play as well with them.”

She has now played all over the world in her bare feet .  And she has been winning or placing in tournaments which in turn have lead to others.  Unfortunately for fans of bare feet by the time she got to the final round at Pinehurst where she had to tee off early, it was so cold that she decided to play in shoes.  “I played with them for three holes and did not do well,“ she said. “So my caddie Charlie told me to take my shoes off, and from there I played much better.”